Originally Posted by
Chief Brody
However we cannot argue that the CAPS record speaks for itself. Do some research. Those that have pulled it tell a story that I am sold on. When the chute is pulled within it's operating envelope it saves lives. The impact is the equivalent of dropping from 3 stories up. Firm but very survivable. No one is saying use it as a crutch to fly outside your limits.
He record does speak for itself. Over half of the deployments in circumstances where the pilot should never have been, and unending accounts by private pilots (et al) who wouldnt have attempted the trip save for the parachute. It becomes their defacto portable alternate airport. Given that most of the deployments have involved perfectly good airplanes taken beyond the pilot's own capabilities, one can argue that while CAPS does save lives on occasion, it does far more to promote endangerment.
When Cirrus considers every deployment a "save," the statistics are badly skewed. After all, they say, pull, and pull often. We'll make more.
Even though the flight manual clearly states that deployment of CAPS will result in destruction of the airframe and quite possibly death. Whether it's the Cirrus loaded past gross with four people and fuel over the Rockies at night in a thunderstorm, in which the pilot deployed because he lost control (round parachute canopy in tstorms in the mountains...not good), or the gentleman that deployed and floated gently under canopy to the ground in Colorado, while burning to death...to call every one a "save" is at best a misnomer.
That Cirrus used the parachute to compensate for the inability to show spin recovery for certification, but never tested it to a landing, speaks volumes.